Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Chemistry and Biochemistry (MA,MS,PhD)

Telephone: (302) 831-1247 http://www.chem.udel.edu
Faculty Listing: http://www.chem.udel.edu/people/full-list-searchable

Program Overview

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers programs leading to the PhD, MS, and MA degrees. Financial support for PhD students is available in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. The thesis for the Master of Science degree or the doctoral dissertation may be in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, or physical chemistry. Certain courses offered in other departments may be taken for credit for advanced degrees in chemistry if these fit logically into the proposed course of study and have the approval of the candidate’s advisor.

Four major state-of-the-art facilities support the research of faculty and students. These laboratories are operated by PhD-level scientists who provide analytical service and training courses. The Blue Hen NMR Complex houses six state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers with operating frequencies ranging from 400 MHz to 850 MHz and one FT-ESR spectrometer. Graduate students routinely use these instruments in their research. The departmental mass spectrometry laboratory encompasses instruments that provide service in electrospray ionization (ESI), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), fast-atom bombardment (FAB), chemical ionization (CI), and electron ionization (EI) mass spectrometry. GC/MS, LC/MS, and MALDI instruments are available for routine student use. The X-ray laboratory includes two CCD X-ray diffractometers for small molecule crystallography. Our department also houses the university-wide Surface Analysis Facility, which provides analytical capabilities in scanning probe microscopy (SPM), including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).

A research facility to perform macromolecular crystallography is also housed in the department. A wide variety of equipment is available in individual research laboratories. The department maintains electronics, machine, and glass-blowing shops as well as a chemistry reference library. Further information regarding research areas and resources can be found at the departmental web site http://www.chem.udel.edu.

Requirements for Admission

Admission to the graduate program in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department is evaluated on the basis of the applicant’s GRE scores and undergraduate records including the transcript and letters of recommendation. TSE and TOEFL scores are required for foreign applicants for whom English is not the first language. Admission is selective and competitive based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

Programs

Master’s

Doctorate

Chemistry and Biochemistry (PhD)